Walkabout is a novel by James Vance Marshall. It follows the life of two white American children and their survival in the Australian outback. It shows how two different cultures come together and how their beliefs change.

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Walkabout

Walkabout is a novel by James Vance Marshall. It follows the life of two white American children and their survival in the Australian outback. It shows how two different cultures come together and how their beliefs change.

        The American children, Mary and Peter, have grown up around formal education and wealth, with luxuries at the tip of their fingers. Living in a technologically advanced country they have had many advantages. These however, mean nothing on the middle of the Australian outback. They have been brought up to believe black people inferior to themselves. So when they find themselves alone in the Australian outback with not much to eat, they find themselves ill equipped.

        Whereas the aborigine boy has grown up in a native environment with no formal education. His life is simple with no worries, there is only one major worry that his people think about and that is death. In his culture they believe that when a boy comes of age they must go on a mission called walkabout. A six mouth walk across the Australian outback, where they have to care for themselves and hunt for their food. He had never seen white people because the white people lived in urban countries and towns and not the outback. So when the boy finds himself in front of two white children, he’s horrified but kind and sacrifices his walkabout to save the lives of the two children.

        The children and the bush boy can’t communicate or understand each other, only simple hand signals. So when events happen that would not have been important, they get misunderstood which leads to tragic consequences.

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        When they first meet, Mary was shocked and horrified by this naked black boy stood in front of her, so she decides to stare him out, but the bush boy is not in a rush so stares back.

‘The desert sun streamed down. The children stared and stared.’ Mary does not like the bush boy as he is black and naked so does not move and stares thinking it will scare him and he will leave but he does not. Then suddenly Peter sneezes witch shocks the bush boy and makes him laugh which Peter joins in with him.

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